1. Field of the Invention
Polyoxyalkylene ether polyols, hereinafter for convenience called polyols, are commonly used in the production of urethane polymers. These polyols are reacted with polyisocyanate in the presence of added catalyst and other materials to produce urethane polymers which may be in the form of rubber-like elastomers, flexible or rigid foams and the like. In order that urethane polymers of desired properties and characteristics be produced, it is important that the polyols to be reacted with the polyisocyanate are essentially free of impurities which may function as undesirable catalysts or otherwise in the urethane polymer reaction.
Polyols, as commercially prepared, contain in the crude form various impurities such as alkali metal hydroxide, or other metal salts which were employed as catalysts for the production of polyols. The normal concentrations of catalysts range from 1700 to 4000 parts per million. It is desirable to reduce this to a level of about 5 parts per million or less.
2. Prior Art
Present commercial practices for the removal of these impurities can involve neutralization of the salts of acids forming insoluble salts and removal of same by filtration. Centrifugation, employing mixtures of polyol, water, and solvent can also be employed for the removal of residual catalyst.
The crude polyols without prior neutralization of the catalyst can be treated with a synthetic type adsorbent followed by filtration of the polyol. Present commercial practice involves mixing the polyol and adsorbent with a minimal amount of water present, generally about 0.3 percent. Without controlling the quantity of water present it has been found necessary, on occasion, to interrupt the filtration process and to add more adsorbent to achieve the desired catalyst level. Often the polyol quality suffers because of the great risk of oxidizing the polyols due to repeated interruption in the filtration process necessitating a break in the filter press. This attendant exposure to air causes the production of off-grade polyol by increasing undesirable acidity.
A number of patents disclose the use of various acidic materials for the neutralization of the alkali metal catalyst followed by filtration of the precipitated salts. Among these are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,833,669; 3,053,903; 2,983,763; 2,448,664; and 3,016,404. U.S. Pat. No. 3,528,920 discloses the use of synthetic magnesium silicate as an adsorbent for the removal of catalyst from the various glycol ethers. However, this patent also discloses that the undesired alkaline catalyst is first neutralized with an acid prior to filtration. None of the prior art recognizes that the amount of water present during the treatment with adsorbent, and the time of addition of that water improves the efficiency of catalyst removal.